Escaping from the Dawn
by paynesgrey
Summary: Tracy has some thoughts about Peter as they head toward their meeting with Nathan. Tracy Strauss, Peter Petrelli Missing Scene from "Trust and Blood." ONESHOT. This is complete and will not be continued.


AN: Written for the Missing Scenes ficathon for heroes_faves on Livejournal. I claimed Tracy, and my missing scene is taken from the episode "Trust and Blood." This one-shot is complete. 

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><p><span>Escaping from the Dawn<span>

Tracy Strauss winces as the stolen military uniform chaffs against her skin. It's certainly not Chanel, even if it is better than that godawful prison orange jumpsuit. She frowns at the itch against her skin as she follows Peter Petrelli toward the historic landmark where they've agreed to meet his brother Nathan, the mastermind of this whole debacle that dumped her into this horrid situation in the first place.

She still has moments where she wants to panic and give up, hoping that the people who kidnapped her can be reasonable and let her call in some favors to Washington so she can return to her old life. Tracy knows better, and though she's thinking clearly now, the fear is still gripping tightly around her nerves, and she only hopes that Nathan buys the rouse that she wants to give up Peter for her safety.

Peter is more skeptical of his brother's reaction to their plan, but he agrees to it anyway, since he wants to confront Nathan anyway. Tracy isn't sure she really cares about Peter's fate after she tries to bargain with Nathan, but she starts to wonder in the back of her mind if she should.

Perhaps it's her fear talking again, but she thinks she should be more grateful to Peter for finding her in the brush and convincing her to go on the run instead of going back and possibly getting a bullet between the eyes.

After Peter explains about what he knows about Nathan's intentions for them, Tracy isn't so sure that her skills as a former lobbyist to the New York governor could get her out of this situation anymore. She still can't believe she's here or that she was taken out of her comfortable apartment at gunpoint, or that Nathan was the one who betrayed her.

Yet, despite everything, Peter has convinced her enough to try to make the most of their situation.

She only hopes that Nathan Petrelli can be as empathic as his brother, but she knows well enough that he can't. It's not how Nathan is, and it certainly isn't the way he operates. (Tracy isn't so sure she should be boasting about knowing how Nathan thinks to his own brother; she certainly didn't expect him to kidnap people with abilities and drop them into interment camps.)

The Petrelli brothers are like day and night, she realizes. As they head toward the meeting place, Tracy can't help but reflect on her short time with Peter. Sure, he's overly serious and sometimes sarcastic, but he really is nothing like his cut-throat, ambitious brother; although, Peter's ambitions are different in nature, she sees that both of them have the same energy.

Where Nathan wants to use his ambitions for political power, Peter wants to use his power for kindness and heroism, something he believes he can achieve with his abilities.

Abilities that were natural to him, not given to her and Nathan synthetically, or so she comes to believe. Tracy knows that Peter Petrelli really has no reason to lie, not when they're fighting for their lives, and certainly not to her when he's done nothing but try to help her since they've come together.

Tracy can still smell the acrid stench of smoke and blood on the air from the plane wreckage. Despite running miles from the crash site, the reality of the hunt is still looming behind them, nipping swiftly at their footsteps. Even with her deal with Nathan coming up close, Tracy still fears that someone is chasing them, and she wouldn't put it past Nathan to go back on their deal and send the more men after them, before their meeting takes place.

"I think we should rest," Peter says, and she's caught him throwing worrying glances back at her as they head toward Russellville. They can't be a mile away from the rendezvous, and night is already approaching. Peter looks away as she starts to adjust her clothes in the places that sting the most. Tracy scoffs slightly. She hates that she's going to have a rash between her thighs, but she's sure she can find worse things to complain about.

"Thirsty?" he asks, and he points to a pond they've come upon to their right in an open area of the brush. Tracy nods, finally regaining her breath. She kneels beside Peter and they scoop up the water in their palms, refreshing themselves despite the cleanliness of the pond. Tracy looks up at the sky as she hears an owl hooting in the distance.

"The sun is setting," she says, wiping her lips. She stares momentarily at the mesh of hues ahead of them: purples, reds, pinks and oranges stacked on one another, like a rainbow painted with a wide brush.

"We need to pick up the pace. Nathan will be at the site soon," Peter says, his gaze transfixed to the sunset as well. He stands up and offers his hand. Tracy takes it, remembering when he'd held her hand earlier that day, gripping tightly and protectively as they ran through the forest after he'd first found her.

"Thanks," she says, and she thinks that if Peter Petrelli truly gets her out of this situation and they can convince Nathan to let them both go, she'll have to repay Peter back some day, even if she has to reconnect with him far in the future.

_Not too far in the future, _she thinks, as she becomes entranced by his deep brown eyes.

She smiles at him, and as she comes to her feet, he releases her hand and moves along. She treads softly behind him, but soon they quicken their pace, and when they come upon the memorial site, Peter lets out a ragged sigh. He looks at her through the darkness, and his eyes are intense and his lips are pursed. He nods and motions to a tree where they'll be hiding.

"Well," he says, and he looks at the time on the cell phone they stole. "Show time."

A shudder races through her body as she takes a deep breath, and Tracy wonders if she can truly play her part.


End file.
